Darling Girl
by Eric Thorsen
Summary: Based on the Severitus' challenge, but with a twist... Where has Harry gone? And who is this girl? Read and find out. Finally Updating again.
1. What is going on?

The characters and universe of Harry Potter are the sole property of J. K. Rowling and her licensees.

Darling Girl

By

Lord Dragonbane

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Chapter One: What's Going On?!

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"I hate being sick," Harry Potter muttered to himself, fighting down the nausea that was rolling through him. He shivered as he got out bed, and groaned as he felt his stomach cramping sharply. Harry fought down a fresh surge of nausea and stumbled to his wardrobe. Dragging a T-shirt that was too big for him on over his head, he pulled on his hand-me down sweat pants.

Harry shivered again, then hurried to the bathroom, fighting his rebellious stomach. He reached the toilet barely in time, then washed his face and rinsed his mouth out. Harry shakily walked down the hallway and downstairs to the kitchen and started cooking breakfast, hoping that the smells of the food wouldn't force him back into the bathroom. Moving slowly around the kitchen, he took his time with each task, trying to make sure it was perfect. He knew that the Dursleys wouldn't appreciate the effort he put into it, but Harry also knew that if it was even the slightest bit less than perfect, they would make his life even more miserable than it already was.

The food was done and the table set by the time his aunt came into the kitchen to inspect his labors. She looked over the table, inspecting each of the covered dishes in minute detail for anything which was not _just so_. After she had finished her inspection of the food, she went through the kitchen, inspecting each surface and all of the cupboards for any sign of disorder. Satisfied in spite of her self she turned to her nephew. "Acceptable, barely, but . . ." Petunia Dursley stopped speaking suddenly, staring at Harry for several seconds before continuing in a screech that could be heard throughout the house."What have you done to yourself you ungrateful freak?! Isn't it bad enough that we must house you while you are away from that freak school? But no, you need to bring more attention to yourself . . ."

"Petunia my dove, what is it? What has the boy done this time?" Harry groaned inwardly when his uncle came into the room with shaving foam still on his face, clutching a tissue to a cut on his chin.

"Vernon, look at him. The freak must have done it last night with his abnormality. He certainly hasn't the money to do it the normal way." Harry continued to stare at his aunt in confusion wondering what she was going on about. He was even more confused when Vernon looked at him and swelled in outrage. What was wrong with the way he looked now?

"What do you mean by it boy, hmm? Well, out with it!"

"Excuse me Uncle Vernon, but what do I mean by what? I don't understand."

"Don't understand?!" Vernon roared, enraged. Grabbing Harry's arm, his uncle dragged him out the door and up the stairs, hurling him into the bathroom and forcing him to stand in front of the mirror. "Well boys, try to deny it. Try to deny that you did that to your hair."

Harry stared at his hair is shock, suddenly realizing what his aunt and uncle had been talking about. He reached up and pulled a strand down in front of his face. The mirror wasn't broken... His hair was _red, _or at least most of it was. Only a few centimeters of hair at the ends was still black, and that only made it worse."A prank." Harry muttered to himself."Someone must have put something in my shampoo before I left school."

"You mean that this is the result of some school boy prank? That you had nothing to do with your appearance?!" Vernon stared at his nephew in disbelief, then barked a laugh."Whoever did this was quite ingenious, but it does not excuse your impertinence. Go to your room and stay there. You are not to leave that room except to go to the toilet, until your hair is back to normal." Harry watched his uncle leave in shock, unable to believe his ears as his uncle walked down laughing to himself.

"Could the Death Eaters have killed Uncle Vernon and put someone in his place?" Harry asked himself, then dove for the toilet as his stomach decided to make its displeasure known again. A few minutes later, Harry made his way to his room, collapsing onto his bed. Vernon took Dudley on an outing and Petunia went to her garden club while he slept.

Harry woke suddenly and bolted for the toilet feeling painful pressure in his abdomen. He dropped his oversize sweat pants and boxers around his ankles and dropped to the toilet barely in time. As the pressure diminished Harry sighed in relief, wondering what was wrong with his body. Glancing down as he stood, Harry noticed that something was wrong and gapped in horror at his crotch. Some very important parts of his anatomy seemed to have gone missing. It was finally too much for him, and he screamed once before he fainted.

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Petunia was opening the door to her home when she heard a blood curdling female scream from the bathroom upstairs. She ran up the stairs, and gasped in shock. There was a red-haired girl she had never seen before, lying on the floor with a pair of her nephew's sweat pants and boxers around her ankles. She stormed to her nephew's room to demand an explanation for the presence of an unknown girl in her house, but was confused when she couldn't find him anywhere in the house.

Petunia returned to the bathroom, and decided to make the girl more comfortable before trying to revive her. After pulling the boxers and sweats back to the girl's waist, she rolled her over, and received the second shock of her day. The girl looked familiar, but she couldn't think of who she reminded her of. Petunia stared at the girl for several moments before she heard a soft hooting coming from her nephew's room, and realized that she should report this to Dumbledore before her husband and son returned. She rushed from the bathroom to her nephew's room where she found the owl standing on his window ledge. Taking the first sheet of parchment she could find, she rummaged in her purse for the fountain pen she used to write invitations and wrote a brief message.

The owl glared at her when she approached, and snapped at her when she tried to remove the letter it clutched in its claws. "Look here you stupid bird, something has happened to your master, and I need you to carry this message to Dumbledore. It's urgent!" Hedwig looked at Petunia suspiciously for a moment, then flew to her cage, dropped the letter inside, took a drink of water, then flew back to the window, snatching the note from Petunia's hand. Harry's aunt jumped backward with a startled yelp, then swore when she heard the front door open. Rushing back to the restroom, she flushed the toilet, and dragged the girl from the restroom to her nephew's bedroom, putting her on the bed and then securing all of the locks on the outside of the door. Walking down the stairs, she greeted Vernon and Dudley warmly, giving each a peck on the cheek in greeting.

"How was your outing my darlings?"

"Really neat Mum, we saw these really cool sharks, and made it in time to see them feed the killer whales after the dolphin show. There was blood everywhere."

"Little tyke," Vernon laughed, then noticed that his wife was slightly out of breath. "Petunia my dove, whatever is the matter? What has_ that boy _done this time?"

"Nothing Vernon, or at least nothing that I couldn't deal with. I've locked him in his room as punishment."

"That boy needs to learn his place," Vernon grumbled, stomping into the lounge."I tell you Petunia, we should never have let him stay. He should have been sent off to the orphanage immediately."

"I know he is troublesome Vernon, but think what the neighbors would have said. It was much better that we kept him with us, ungrateful brat that he is, than to have the neighbors think us lacking in family loyalty."

"I suppose you are right my love, but it pains me to see you driven to palpitations by that unfeeling urchin." The Dursley's settled into their lounge to watch television, and the girl upstairs remained blissfully unconscious.

0202020202

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, beamed down the long table in the faculty lounge at his staff. Professors Vector and Sprout were talking animatedly about a research project they were conducting, while McGonnagall and Flitwick discussed the antics of their grandchildren. The other staff members were similarly occupied, except for the two men at the opposite end of the table, who sat across from each other, glaring. Dumbledore's eyes lost a bit of their twinkle when his gaze fell the empty seat at the end of the table, but he shook his head and cleared his throat.

"If I may have your attention, it is time to begin our meeting." The professors stopped talking to each other and gave Professor Dumbledore their undivided attention. "As you can see, we have been joined once more by Professor Remus Lupin, who will be returning to his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts Instructor with, I might add, the full approval of the Ministry of Magic. Some of you may wonder how this came about, but that is a story for a different time. I am saddened to inform you all that we will not be rejoined by Professor Trelawney or by Madame Hooch this term or indeed ever again. Sybil has been admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies after suffering a nervous breakdown caused by her traumatic experiences last year. While I am sure we all hope that Sybil will recover, her physician informs me that her breakdown has destroyed what little gift of sight she once held. Rolanda . . ." Professor Dumbledore's voice broke for a moment as he visibly battled to retain his composure. "Madame Hooch was killed in a Death-Eater attack two nights ago, while visiting her sister in Shropshire. She died heroically, giving her sister sufficient time to escape with her two children via the floo network. I would ask that we pause for a moment of silence to honor of that brave lady's sacrifice."

A long silence settled over the room as the staff contemplated recent events. Finally Albus removed his glasses, wiped his eyes with a purple handkerchief, and then replaced his spectacles with a determined frown.

"Now for our old business. Minerva?" He smiled at the deputy headmistress, who nodded and muttered a short spell, causing rolls of parchment to appear before each member of the staff.

"This is a list of all students, fifth year and above, who are eligible to become prefects this year." Professor McGonnagall said, indicating the parchment. "As you can see, Slytherin stands in need of four prefects this year rather than the normal two to replace the leaving seventh years. This is due to the removal of Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson for their conduct during the final term of last year. More specifically for their use of excessive force against other students."

"Come now Minerva, you cannot blame them for following the orders of the High Inquisitor." Snape protested with a sneer, ignoring the glares he was receiving from several of his colleagues."Where is the justice in that?"

"'Just following orders,' Severus?" Madame Pomfrey demanded from her seat at Dumbledore's left. "I was seeing every non-slytherin first year two to three times a week the month before the OWLS because of Malfoy and Parkinson. These weren't minor injuries either. One Hufflepuff had to have half the bones on her right side completely regrown."

"The clumsiness of first years is legendary Madame."

"Clumsiness? How dare you?" Professor Sprout almost shouted. "Those fiends used . . ."

"That is enough." Dumbledore said in calm tone that was at odds with his deep frown. Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Parkinson have both been removed from their positions as prefects. That decision is final. Now, are the Heads of each house prepared with their recommendations? Ravenclaw?"

"I recommend Luna Lovegood and Caeldowyn Stebbins for prefect from Ravenclaw." Professor Flitwick piped from his seat next to Hagrid.

"Are their any objections?" Seeing none, he moved to the next house."Hufflepuff?"

Professor Sprout smiled and stood. "I recommend Bronwyn Hostetler, and Jeremiah Larson as prefects from Hufflepuff."

"Objections? Slytherin?"

"I nominate Gwendolyn Baddock and Hieronymus Smythe as fifth-year prefects, and since you are all being unreasonable, Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zambini to replace Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Malfoy."

"Are they any better than the last two?" Professor McGonnagall demanded suspiciously.

"Yes Minerva, both are eligible and their loyalties are unquestionable. Even you should have no objections." Professor McGonnagall glared at Snape for several seconds, then nodded her agreement to his choices. With no objection from anyone else, the new Slytherin prefects were approved and they moved onto Gryffindor.

"This selection was... difficult, since I have so many young ladies who are qualified to be my fifth year female prefect. I would recommend Miss Ginevra Weasley, and Mr. Colin Creevy."

"Come now Minerva, surely you can do better than _another_ Weasley." Snape said, obviously baiting the head of Gryffindor."Why not Miss Stevens or Miss Davidson?"

"Ginevra Weasley is at the top of her year in every subject, including yours, Severus. Since she has not received a single detention longer than one week in her entire time here, it would be an insult to give the badge to anyone else."

"Very well, I have no further objections." None of the other professors objected so the Gryffindor prefects were approved.

"Since there is nothing else to discuss on this matter, we will move onto the report on the events at the end of last term. Severus?"

"Yes Headmaster. As you are all aware, at the end of last term Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ginevra Weasley, and Luna Lovegood left school grounds and rode the Hogwarts Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic's London offices and broke into the Department of Mysteries. While there, they thwarted an attempt by He-who-must-not-be-named to acquire a prophecy which concerned Mr. Potter. At the final meeting of this body, it was suggested that these individuals be recommended for an award for special services to the school, rather than expelled as I recommended at the time. Objections were raised that their actions were more appropriately recognized by the Ministry, and I was asked to research the rules regarding special service awards. In my research I found that there is in fact a school regulation involving these awards." Snape looked through his notes then began to read.

'_Special Awards shall be granted to those individuals who, in the opinion of the majority of the staff, shall have done special service to the students and staff of Hogwarts School through their actions while in attendance at said school.' _

"Based on that wording, there is a valid question as to whether these students meet these criteria. While it is obvious that their actions did serve the students and staff of this institution, they were not in attendance at this school. In fact, they were not even on the premises. This would seem to indicate that they are not in fact eligible for these awards."

"I find myself in agreement with Severus on this Albus," Professor McGonnagall said, grimacing at her own words."It would be more appropriate for them to be recognized by the Ministry."

"Very well... That dispenses with the old business. Is there any new business?" Before anyone could speak, Hedwig flew through a window and landed next to Professor Dumbledore.

"Isn't that Harry's owl?" Professor Lupin asked in surprise. "What does he say?" Professor Dumbledore held up his hand as he took the message from the owl and read it.

"Albus?" Professor McGonnagall gave him a concerned look when he gave her a shocked look. "What is it?"

"The rest of this meeting will have to be postponed. Severus, Minerva, Remus, and Poppy, if you would come with me." The five professors filed out of the room, leaving the others talking about what could have happened to the boy-who-lived.

"Albus, what has happened?" Professor McGonnagall demanded once they were safely in the headmaster's office. "Is something wrong?"

"I very much fear that there is Minerva, but what it is I cannot say. The message that I received, was not, in fact, from Mr. Potter but instead his aunt, Petunia Dursley."

"Petunia sent you an _owl?_ This is the same woman who won't let Harry even _talk_ about magic in her house. Why would she be willing to use an owl to send you a message?"

"Most likely to get the most rapid response." Dumbledore replied, smiling at the disbelieving expression on Lupin's face. "However, that is neither here nor there. Poppy, Minerva, I need you to prepare a room for a female patient, with access to the Hospital wing. Severus, please brew a several doses of strong calming and healing potions, and bring them to the room Minerva and Poppy will prepare. Remus, I need you to come with me."

"Headmaster, is there any more information you can give me regarding this patient?" Madame Pomfrey asked, obviously thinking of the preparations she would have to make. "What her injuries are?"

"I would tell you if I had any more detailed information Poppy, unfortunately, all Mrs. Dursley put in her note is that she returned home to discover Harry missing and an unknown girl unconscious in her home. Severus, you might also begin preparing a lineage potion, in order to determine who the young lady is." Professor Snape nodded and left the room at his normal brisk pace, followed closely by the two witches. Professor Dumbledore walked over to his fireplace and took down a pot of floo powder.

"Where could Harry have gone Albus? He wouldn't just leave, especially if there was someone injured in the house."

"I would tend to agree with you Remus. However, if this young lady was used by his enemies to gain entry to the house, she may be our only hope of finding him." Dumbledore threw a pinch of floo powder into his fireplace. "Figg House, Password: Shrivel Fig." The flames flared up and turned green and then Professor Dumbledore was gone. Moments later, he appeared in Arabella Figg's lounge. Remus arrived after giving him time to move out of the way, and they brushed the soot off their robes before opening the door to the rest of the house. Mrs. Figg bustled into the room a short time later.

"Albus? Remus? What brings you to Little Whinging on this miserable day?"

"I received a letter, by owl, from Petunia Dursley which claimed that Harry was missing."

"But... But the wards are intact! The alarms have not gone off. Are you sure?"

"It is possible that Voldemort has found a way to bypass them, Arabella. Remus and I will be going to the Dursley's home to investigate. But first I believe a change of attire is in order." With a wave of his wand, the robes that he and Remus were wearing were transfigured into business suits, and overcoats. Professor Dumbledore then shortened his hair and beard. The two disguised wizards walked down the street, watching everything carefully, but not obviously. There was nothing unusual occurring, and they made their way to number four without any incidents.

"BOY! GET THE DOOR!" a male voice roared when Remus rang the doorbell. A softer, feminine voice replied and they heard footstep approaching. The woman who opened the door started to speak, and then gasped.

"YOU!"

"Hello Petunia," Remus smiled at the shocked expression on her face. "I'm here because of your message to Professor Dumbledore, nothing else."

"Who is it My Dove?"

"No one of importance Vernon." Petunia replied, then turned to the men at the door."Come with me, quietly." Petunia led the way up to Harry's door and then unlocked it. She ushered the two wizards into the room indicating the unconscious figure on the bed.

"Is this the girl?" Remus asked, then gasped in shock when he got a good look at her."Merlin, she looks just like Lily."

"Of course, that is who she reminded me of," Petunia said in realization.

"Were their any signs of a struggle or forced entry?"

"None that I've noticed. But then I might not notice something one of your kind might have done."

"Where was this girl when you found her?" Dumbledore passed his wand over the girl after casting a diagnostic spell. He frowned when noticed the large amount of stress and the remnants of a charm.

"In the bathroom. She was lying on the floor, unconscious. And from the state of her clothing, she may have been using the toilet when she was knocked out."

"Petunia, where are you? The program will be starting soon." Vernon shouted from the lounge.

"I'm coming Vernon, I'll be down in a moment." Petunia said, then grumbled for a moment. "You need to get this girl out of here. I've managed to keep Vernon and Dudley from discovering her, but that may change at any moment, and I don't know how to explain her if they do."

"Yes of course, she doesn't appear to have any injuries, but she had a powerful concealment spell on her until very recently, though I cannot tell what it might have been. I am positive it was not a form of transfiguration. Fortunately there are no injuries that would us from taking her with us to Hogwarts." Remus nodded, and conjured a stretcher.

"If you're taking her to that school, you might as well take Harry's belongings as well. He won't be returning here until the next summer holidays even if you find him, will he?"

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, and Remus followed her down the stairs to gather Harry's trunk from the cupboard. As they were carrying the trunk back up the stairs, Vernon laughed loudly at something happening on television, causing both of them to freeze in apprehension. After a few moments, they relaxed again, getting the truck upstairs as quickly as possible.

"Petunia, where are my spectacles?" Vernon asked, coming partway up the stairs, just as they were loading the books and parchment on Harry's desk into the trunk. Petunia left quickly to help him look and keep him away from the room, while Remus and Dumbledore looked for anything else that Harry might want?

"His wand and invisibility cloak are missing Albus."

"He might have them with him." Dumbledore replied. They were closing the trunk when Remus caught the scent of sweets under the bed. Drawing the bed away from the wall, the werewolf quickly found the loose board, and Harry's stash of food, as well as the missing invisibility cloak and wand.

"Albus, his wand and cloak are here. Why would he leave without them? It doesn't make any sense."

"I do not know, but we should put them in his trunk for now. He may need them again after we find him." Remus nodded and put the items in the trunk, closing it and moving the bed back into position, amazed that the bed's motion hadn't wakened the girl. He was about to ask Dumbledore about that, when Petunia returned.

"Hurry, Dudley has invited some friends over to play video games and they will be here any moment." Dumbledore shrank the trunk and bird cage, then turned to Mrs. Dursley.

"Thank you for bringing this situation to our attention Petunia, we will keep you informed of what we discover. If you would go downstairs and open the door, we will leave as unobtrusively as possible." Petunia nodded and left while Remus and Dumbledore moved the girl from the bed to the stretcher, still without waking her.

"This worries me, Albus. With all the jostling we're giving her, she should have woken up, or at least moved."

"Once we have her at Hogwarts, Poppy can tell us what is causing this unconscious state." After casting 'Notice-me-not' spells on themselves and their burden, the two wizards lifted the stretcher, and carried it out of the room, down the stairs, and out the door. Because of the spells, Petunia didn't notice them leaving, but when she went back upstairs five minutes later to see what was keeping them, they were gone.

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After Professors Dumbledore and Lupin removed their disguise spells at Mrs. Figg's house, they flooed to the hospital wing with their burden, startling the witches who were preparing the private room. The girl was quickly moved from the stretcher to the bed in the room, and Madame Pomfrey set to work diagnosing the problem.

Fifteen minutes later, the nurse came out of the room and walked to her office, where the others were waiting.

"Other her amazing similarity to Lily Evans... I mean Potter, I haven't been able to discover any connections to young Mr. Potter. Hopefully Severus' lineage potion will clear that up. As to her unconscious state, when she fell, she must have his her head on something; there is a rather large bump on the side of her head."

"When will she be able to tell us what happened?" Remus asked anxiously.

"She should regain her faculties any minute now. Unfortunately, there are some additional complications. Based on the spell residue and other indicators, this girl has recently been under several gender switching spells combined with a number of blood based mimic potions until very recently. The spell is breaking down, which is canceling the potion's effects, which may, in turn, cause the girl to remain unconscious for a longer period."

"Poppy, is there anyway to counter the effects? She is our only possible witness to Harry Potter's disappearance."

"I will do what I can, Headmaster, but there is something you might wish to consider. Based on this evidence, the girl may very well be Harry Potter. Or at least the person we know as Harry Potter." The Nurse left her office to go check on her patient as everyone stared at each other in confusion.

"How... Albus, how would this be possible? How could someone replace Harry Potter with some girl, even if she was the same age?"

"It would have been very simple for the Death Eaters to have done so when Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow, Minerva. Or when he ran away from the Dursley's before his third year, though the first is much more likely. However it was done, we must assume that this girl has been the person we have known as Harry Potter for at least two years."

"But why Albus? What possible purpose could someone have for doing this?"

"I do not know Minerva, it need not even have been the Death Eaters who made these changes. This could have been done quite easily by Lily Potter herself, when the child was first born. In fact that would make the most sense, considering Harry's remarkable resemblance to James Potter."

"Lily? That is impossible Albus," Remus declared, jumping to his feet."There hasn't been a girl born into the Potter family for 800 years. For her to have a girl... No, Lily would never have betrayed James like that."

"You're right Remus, and forgive me if I appeared to be accusing Lily of infidelity. That was not my intention. I was only voicing one possibility."

"Albus, what will we do if this girl is a Death Eater plant?" Professor McGonnagall demanded. "Do you think she is one of them herself? How will we find the real Harry if she can't tell us where he is?"

"It is highly unlikely that the Death Eaters would have brought a child, even one her age, into their confidence. They would have been more likely to have taken a child from a wizarding orphanage, or even from a family they had destroyed, and used the combination of spells and potions Poppy discovered which made her look like Harry. They would have been more likely to use a boy, which is why I suggested Lily's involvement, but... It is getting late. Perhaps we will be better able to discover where the real Harry has gotten to and who this girl is after a good nights sleep."

McGonnagall and Lupin nodded their agreement and left the hospital wing for their quarters, Remus still slightly angry at the insinuations involved in Dumbledore's suggestion of Lily as the person deceiving them.

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When Remus arrived in his quarters, he changed into his sleeping clothes, and went to lay down on his bed, when he saw a parchment envelope addressed to him, lying on his pillow. He opened and gasped when he saw the signature.

_18 October 1987 _

_Dearest Moony,_

_If you are reading this, it means that I was right, and Peter Petigrew was the traitor. This will mean that James and I are dead, but hopefully Harry will have survived and just turned 16. My death means that I will have to lay the burden of a dangerous secret on your shoulders, however unfairly. You see Remus, Harry is not James' son, is in fact 'he' is not even a boy. Shortly after we graduated, I was married... to Severus Snape. He had joined the Death Eaters as part of our assignment as Unspeakables in order to discover what, if anything, Voldemort knew about the origins of the Killing curse._

_In Mid-November of 1985, his cover was almost blown when someone saw him leaving our flat late one night, so it was decided that James and I would pretend to be married, to keep Severus safe. Unfortunately, we discovered that I was pregnant two months later, and Severus assumed that I had been unfaithful with James._

_In July, when the child was born, it was quite obvious who _her _father was, but Severus had gone so deep undercover that it would have been terribly dangerous to reveal our daughter to the world. So James and I used several obscure Gender switching spells and potions based on the Sanguinary Deception to hide her as James' son. Our intention was to remove the changes after I'd had a chance to meet with Severus, but since you are reading this, that plan has failed._

_Please Moony, help my daughter to understand the changes that are happening. Please give Severus the message meant for him. I know that I can count on you to do this._

_Your Friend,_

_Lily Evans Snape (Potter)_

Remus stared at the note for several minutes, trying to take all of the revelations in. 'Lily was married to Severus, not James? Harry is actually a girl? How am I going to tell them?'

With these thought Remus fell into a deep, troubled sleep.

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A/N: This story is loosely based on Severitus' Challenge to write a fanfic based on the idea of Snape as Harry's father, but there are a couple of rather brutal plot twists. The background plot line is based on the events of OOTP, and on those plot elements that JKR has set out in interviews since the release of that novel.

As a side note, while I know that Nick's death day in CoS is listed as being October 31, 1492, which would place CoS in 1992, I like the publishing date of PS (1997) as the beginning of Harry's school time which puts CoS in 1998, and OOTP in 2002. That's the basis of my time line.

Hope you liked this story so far.


	2. Chapter 2

The characters and universe of Harry Potter are the sole property of J. K. Rowling and her licensees.

Darling Girl

By

Eric Thorson and Balthazar Kwiatkowski

_DG_

Chapter Two: Who's Your Daddy?

_DG_

Remus woke up with a start. It took a few moments before he remembered what was troubling him. He thought about the events of the day before, and the things he recalled worried him. He remembered it all starting when Harry's owl arrived with a letter for Dumbledore from Harry's aunt during a staff meeting. It said that something had happened to Harry, and there was a mysterious girl unconscious on his bed. After they brought girl back to Hogwarts, everybody thought that she might be a Death Eater plant and Harry could have been missing for days, if not years.

Remus' worries were relieved and then found another focus when he returned to his suite and found a letter addressed to him from Lily Potter, or rather from Lily _Snape_. It turned out that Lily had never married James Potter at all, but had instead married Severus Snape right after school had finished. That had been the first shock, but by no means the smallest one. The letter had gone on to say that Lily had been pregnant before she moved in with James and that Harry was not James' son, or even Harry. Lily's only child was born a girl, Lilith, Snape's _daughter_. It went on to explain how, to protect Snape's cover among the Death Eater's, Lily had pretended to be married to James Potter, and transfigured her daughter into her son, since James couldn't have daughter's due to a family curse.

It was so hard for him to take in. His whole worldview had changed. The child that he had seen as the only part of his friends that he had left, the only reminder of what he had once had, was not the son of the brother he had never had. She was the daughter of his soul sister and one of his greatest rivals. As he thought about the changes his world had undergone, a voice at the back of head kept shouting 'if you think _you _have it bad, think about what that poor child will be going through when she wakes up.' Swearing to himself, Remus surged out of his bed and got dressed as quickly as possible, then froze when he thought of something else. "How am I going to convince Albus and Severus? Lily did too good a job of convincing the world that Harry was James' son." He muttered to himself, slumping back onto his bed.

He thought about the problem for several minutes, discarding idea after idea before he remembered the letter sitting on his dressing table. Remus quickly got out of bed, looked 

through the letter again to be sure that it said the same things that it had the night before, then rushed from the room, hoping he had the chance to tell Dumbledore about it before they used the Progenitor Potion on Lilith. He ran most of the way to Dumbledore's office, shouting the password and running up the stairs two at a time.

"Professor Dumbledore." Remus called out when he entered the room and saw him standing near his desk. Dumbledore looked up in surprise.

"Remus, good morning, what can I help you with." Dumbledore replied with a smile.

"I have some information about the girl for you to see before we use the Progenitor Potion on her." Remus said.

"I can't imagine what, but we have decided to use the Progenitor Potion on her immediately and Severus should be here shortly with the finished potion." Dumbledore said. "While we wait for Severus, why don't you give this information you have."

Remus was going to pull out the letter and show it to Dumbledore when Snape burst into the room and strode towards Dumbledore and Lupin with scowl on his face.

"It's not possible!" Snape almost shouted out at the top of his lungs.

"Please quiet yourself Severus, there are people still sleeping in this castle." Dumbledore asked him. "What is not possible, Severus?"

"According to _that woman_, the girl is a relation of mine." Snape replied after taking a few breaths to calm him.

"A relation you say?" Dumbledore said. "I thought you were the last of your family."

"I may be able to help there." Remus said taking the letter from his pocket.

"What would you know about this, wolf?" Snape snarled dismissively, and then turned back to Dumbledore. "We need to have this matter cleared up quickly before the Dark Lord hears of it. This could be the death of the both of us. If the Dark Lord were to discover that I had living relations, and lied about them, he would not stop until the girl was brought before him and I had explained myself. "

"As I was about to show Dumbledore here, I found a letter last night that should clarify all of this." Remus said and pulled the letter out and made to hand it over to Dumbledore, but Snape snatched it out of his hands and threw it to the floor.

"Shall we stop wasting time with this nonsense and find out who this girl actually is." Snape stormed out of the room with the vial of Progenitor Potion clenched tightly in his fist. Lupin and Dumbledore followed him to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey, who looked outraged at the intrusion into her domain, met them.

"What is going on?" She demanded. "What is the meaning of all this noise?"

Snape ignored her, and took the girls hand from where it was lying outside her quilt. Ignoring Madam Pomfrey's protest, he drew a lancet from within his robes and pricked her finger, dropping several drops of her blood into the clear potion in the vial. Swirling it three times to the left and then once to the right, he drew a pure white quill from within his robes and then set a sheet of unbleached parchment on the bed side table. After dipping the quill in the now black potion, he nodded to Professor Dumbledore who drew his wand from inside his sleeve.

"Revello Progenitus." Dumbledore said, making a writing motion over the white quill. The quill rose to a writing position, and began to move over the parchment. Stopping to dip itself in the potion vial several times, it continued down the parchment, drawing a pedigree chart and inserting names into each position. This continued for almost five minutes before the quill flared incandescently along with the remains of the potion, and both vanished, leaving behind a metallic imprint at the bottom of the parchment. Professor Snape snatched the sheet up and began reading it, then froze, dropping the parchment before collapsing to the floor in a faint.

"Goodness, what could have affected Severus so greatly?" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, levitating the fallen professor to the sofa along one wall. After checking his vital signs, she turned back to the others as Lupin lifted the parchment and handed it to Professor Dumbledore. As the headmaster read the pedigree chart, his eyebrows climbed his forehead until they had almost disappeared under his hat. Madame Pomfrey noticed that his eyes were twinkling merrily. "What does it say Albus?"

"Lilith Andromeda Amaranthys Snape is the daughter of Lily Evans Snape and Severus Saridius Lazarius Snape," the Headmaster replied, his eyes twinkling violently. "It appears that many of us were under a number of misapprehensions."

"Wait… did you say 'Lily _Snape_'?" Professor McGonagall demanded, overcoming her shock. "Lily would never… she could never…"

"It would appear that she would, and in fact did, marry Severus. She also seems to have been married to him when this young lady was born, as this parchment would have another name on it if she had been married to James Potter."

"But how is this possible? What about Harry?" McGonagall continued, still in shock. "Albus what about the boy that we knew for the last five years, where is he?"

"Lying in the bed before us, Minerva, if a little changed from the last time we saw him." Dumbledore indicated the girl lying in the bed. "We shall have to wait for Severus to recover to learn more about how this came to be however."

"He should have regained conscious by now," Madame Pomfrey sounded concerned as she moved back to Snape's bedside. Passing her wand over his still form, she frowned and drew a pin from her hair, surprising everyone by jabbing Snape with it. The Potions Master erupted from the bed, diving to the other side with a roar of pain as the Medi-witch smirked at him.

"That will teach you to pretend unconsciousness in my hospital wing, Severus Snape." Madame Pomfrey growled out, completely indifferent to the glare Snape was sending her way. "Now would you care to explain how your daughter happens to have Lily Evans as her mother?" Before Snape could begin his explanation, the shape on the bed started moving.

"Ugh, what happened?" a soft voice asked, sounding extremely confused.

"Ah, it seems our patient is waking up." Dumbledore said motioning for the adults to be quiet before turning to the girl. "We will have to discuss this at a later time."

_DG_

Harry slowly woke up to a throbbing on the right side of his head. He groaned a little in pain and brought his hand up to the sore spot, trying to remember what caused it. Then, the memories of the previous day started slowly coming back to him. His Aunt and Uncle were yelling at him for accidentally changing his hair color, his illness from earlier, and then the sudden wrenching pain and the blood, though he could not remember where the blood came from. As he thought about it, trying to remember, he heard shouting, realized that he was not alone, and decided to see who was shouting. When he saw the ceiling above him, he knew something was wrong. He was not in his bedroom at his Aunt's house as he should be. He was in the hospital wing in Hogwarts. Something odd was going on, but he could not figure out what it was. That was when he realized that he could see the ceiling clearly, without his glasses.

Looking around wildly, Harry sat up a little too quickly, and collapsed back into the hospital bed, but not before he noticed the Headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked in confusion. "What happened? What am I doing here?"

"Good morning child, how are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked, smiling in reassurance.

"My head hurts, but other than that I feel okay I guess." Harry replied, looking around in confusion. "Why am I at Hogwarts?"

"We were wondering if you could tell us how you came to be on Privet Drive. Who are you child?"

"What do you mean, Professor? I live there… you said I have to stay there every summer." Harry looked around when he heard a gasp, catching sight of Professor McGonagall, who was staring at him. "What's going on, Professor?"

"Child, many things have changed. Can you tell me what the last thing you can remember is?" Professor Dumbledore sat in the bedside chair, smiling encouragingly.

"I don't really know what you want to hear, Professor. I was at my Aunt's house and weird stuff started happening. After a while, I started to feel sick, so I decided to take a nap. It was only getting worse though, so I went to the bathroom and … and …" Dawning horror flashed across the girl's face as her eyes went wide. He remembered what had happened and sat up quickly, grabbing his lap to confirm what he feared. With that confirmation, he looked down, noticing to the first time the strange weight on his chest. Shakily bringing his hands up, he cupped the bulges his or rather her chest. That was when he realized that the breasts that he was looking at belonged to him.

"What happened to me?" Harry exclaimed in shock, grabbing Professor Dumbledore by the front of his robes. "Why am I a girl?"

"Please, calm down child, and we will explain what we know." Dumbledore said taking Harry's hands gently from his robes.

"Calm down? Look at me! I'm a girl!" Harry yelled indicating her chest.

"We can see that Harry, but we need you to calm down so that we can explain what we think may have happened to you."

Harry was, quite reasonably, having difficulty calming down, so Madame Pomfrey had her take a Calming Draught to speed up the process. While they were waiting, Snape got fed up 

with the way the people in the room seemed to be fawning on Potter and stormed out of the room. When Harry was calmed enough, Dumbledore handed the girl a mirror so she could see what she looked like. Harry took it and looked at her reflection for the first time. Her image in the mirror looked vaguely familiar, and a few moments later, she recognized the image she was looking at.

"I look like my mother." Harry whispered then turned to the professors desperately. "Why do I look like my mother?"

"We were wondering the same thing." Dumbledore said with a reassuring smile when Harry looked at him confusion. "From what we have been able to discover, this is what you are supposed to look like."

"What I'm supposed to look like? In case you haven't noticed professor, I'm a _girl_ right now. How could this possibly be the way I'm supposed to look? I'm a guy! I'm Harry Potter!" Harry glared at the headmaster, who was grinning at her, and then slumped back on her bed.

"How did I get to Hogwarts?" She asked quietly.

"The owner of the house where you were found sent a message to me and an associate and I went to investigate." Professor Dumbledore explained. When we saw your condition, we discussed our options and decided to bring you here."

"Aunt Petunia sent a message to you? How… she sent Hedwig? Are we talking about the same woman who screams at me every time I even let my owl out to hunt?" Harry asked with disbelief plain in her voice. Dumbledore could no longer avoid the conclusion that this girl at least firmly believed that she was Harry Potter and sighed

"Yes, Harry, she did, and before you ask, she is also the only one there who knows of your changed appearance. She kept you hidden from your Uncle and cousin until we removed you from the house." Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling when he heard Harry sigh in relief at Dumbledore's acceptance.

"What is going on? Is there some way we can break this spell I'm under?"

"Harry, as far as Madame Pomfrey and I have been able to tell, you are not under a spell of any kind."

"But how is that possible Professor? How can I be a girl when I've been a boy for as long as I can remember? I mean, if I'm really a girl, what's my name? It cannot be Harry… unless my 

mum named me Harriet. _Please tell me that my name isn't Harriet!"_ Harry's horror at the idea was obvious.

"I shall allow Remus and Poppy to explain what we have discovered to you. However, I can say that your given name is _not_ Harriet, but rather Lilith." Professor Dumbledore smiled when Lilith repeated her name several times. He glanced at the other adults in the room before he continued. "Now, I must leave you in these, rather capable hand, while I speak to Professor Snape." Dumbledore said, nodding to the others, and then leaving.

Dumbledore walked out of the room and Lilith turned to face Remus and Madame Pomfrey. After a few moments of silence, she cleared her throat and asked her first question, "How is this possible?"

"Well my dear, from the evidence we have, you have been under the effects of a number of gender-switching charms, as well as several potions, for a very long time." Madame Pomfrey began. "Normally, a spell of this nature would not last very long, perhaps a week at most, but the potions must have prolonged the effects."

"I would say so," Lilith replied with a smirk that made Remus gasp. "What is it Remus?"

"How could I not have seen it before? You act just like him." Lilith looked at him questioningly, and Remus elaborated. "You looked a lot like your father just then."

"My father?" Lilith looked at herself in the mirror, trying to see what Remus meant. "I can't see it."

Madame Pomfrey glared at Remus, but he ignored her and continued. "The only person I have ever seen smirk like that was Severus Snape."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Lilith asked before a horrified look crossed her face. "No, please no… he can't be… mum would never… she couldn't have…" Madame Pomfrey glared at Remus again and tried to calm the girl down, realizing how much this must be affecting Lilith for her to react this violently when still under effects of the Calming Draught.

"While I would have preferred to tell you in a less abrupt manner…" Pomfrey started telling her what she had found. She explained the spell residue and other indicators she found, that Lilith had recently been under several gender-switching spells combined with a number of blood based mimetic potions until very recently. She also told her that the spell was breaking down, canceling the remaining potion effects. The thing that shocked Lilith the most though, was when Madame Pomfrey explained the Progenitor Potion and the results of it.

"So I'm not really a Potter, I'm a Snape? How is that even possible? My mom married James Potter. Are you telling me my mom was sleeping around with Snape?" Lilith accused angrily.

"Now before you start with that line of thought, I have a letter you might want to read." Lupin said and handed Lilith the letter and saw as Lilith read it several times before looking at Lupin in shock.

"So, I was really born a girl and my mom really married Professor Snape and not my da … James Potter. My mom did all of this to me in order to protect Snape while he was undercover. And my name is Lilith and not Harry?" Harry or rather Lilith said as she then took a few deep breaths to calm herself again.

"You are being rather calm about all this," Lupin said, watching her closely.

"I think I'm still under the influence of the Calming Draught, or I would probably be freaking out about now." Lilith replied.

"I see," Lupin nodded. "Well, this parchment shows who you and your parents are. It's what we got after we used the Progenitor Potion on you."

Lupin handed that parchment over to Lilith, who looked down at the parchment, and saw 'her' name at the top followed by 'her' parents' names. Lilith set the parchment on the table next to the bed and lay back down.

"Can I have some time to myself to think about all of this?" Lilith asked.

"Okay, but if you need any of us, just call." Lupin said.

"All right." Lilith said as Lupin and Pomfrey left Lilith to her thoughts, a little worried what was going through her mind.

Dumbledore found Snape pacing around his classroom deep in thought. Dumbledore just stood there until Snape realized that he was not alone.

"What do you want?" Snape asked.

_DG_

"Just checking to see how you are doing after finding out about everything." Dumbledore replied.

"How do you think I feel?" Snape snapped at Dumbledore. "I just find out that my wife, who I thought cheated on me with my worst enemy didn't, and that the Potter boy who I have been treating like scum is really the daughter I never new I had."

"I was simply asking because I had noticed that there was a memory charm on you, a very powerful one that could not be detected with either Occlumency or Legilimency."

"A memory charm? And if it can't be detected with Legilimency, how did you find it?"

"The type of charm I am detecting requires certain triggers to release it. I believe that, due to recent events, the memory charm is weakening. It should not be long before you remember what it is blocking. But right now we should meet up with everyone and discuss what we are going to do with your daughter."

"Very well, but we will discuss this later."

As they walked toward Dumbledore's office, Snape's thoughts went to the girl in the hospital wing. He sighed as he realized that there would be many adjustments to their relationship in the near future.

_DG_

Authors' note: After nearly four years, we are back with the second installment. The next three are already written, just needing a little polishing before we post them. For those of you looking forward to more of our other stories, Harry Potter and the Wild Stallion is currently undergoing a massive revision, being rewritten from the beginning. Ranma Saotome, Galaxy Police Officer is also being rewritten, mainly because the original was based on a bad understanding of the first episode of Tenchi Muyo: GXP. Eric now owns the entire series, and this circumstance has greatly improved the story. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we did writing it. So enjoy, be strong and fight for the good.


	3. What it means to be a girl part I

Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Harry Potter are the sole property of J. K. Rowling and her licensees.

Darling Girl

By

Eric Thorsen and Count Stacko

Chapter Three: What it means to be a girl, part I

_DG_

It was two days after Lilith woke up that Madam Pomfrey finally released her from the hospital wing. Even after two days though, the shock of finding out she had been born a girl, and that her most hated professor was her father, was, as Remus Lupin had put it, "understandably persistent." So, rather than think about it, for the last two days she had been trying to get used to her new body.

She could barely walk straight. Most people took things like that for granted, but with the changes in her body, her center of gravity was different and her body moved differently. Another thing that was difficult for her about having a female body was using the toilet and taking showers. It was a completely new experience for her that embarrassed her several times over. She was constantly walking into the boy's toilets, bolting out when the mirrors would admonish her, and when taking a shower, she sported a full-body blush, even if she avoided looking at her own nude body.

It wasn't all bad though. Shortly after she woke up, Lilith noticed that she didn't need her glasses anymore. Her eyesight was almost perfect. Also, she noticed that the scar that she'd had when she was male was gone. She didn't know why, but she did realize that it would make her life a little easier, not having to explain how Harry Potter was a girl now. It would also help with Professor Dumbledore's plans.

During the last two day, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Lupin had met several times, figuring out what to do with Lilith. There was the question of how much to tell the rest of the Wizarding World, who to let in on the secret of her existence, and even what to do about the disappearance of Harry Potter. After several hours of debate and discussions, they now had a good cover story for when anyone asked why Harry was no longer at Hogwarts. He was in hiding to protect him, and prepare him to fight Voldemort. After that, all they had to figure out was what to do with Lilith, and the reality of her existence provided an ample foundation for their story, only requiring the name of a deceased pureblood witch of the appropriate age to make it believable. After asking Lilith her opinion however, they were surprised with a request to speak to Professor Snape after she was out of the hospital wing before making any decisions.

_DG_

Lilith twitched uncomfortably at the skirt that Madame Pomfrey had given her to dress in after releasing her from her care. It wasn't any different from the uniform she had seen many of the Hogwarts girls wearing, but she was still uncomfortable wearing it. Now she sat in the room of requirement, which was currently configured as a muggle sitting room, and tried to sit like she remembered her female friends and classmates sitting, doing her best to act like the girl she appeared to be. She was so absorbed in her thoughts she jumped when there was a knock at the door and Professor Snape entered the room.

"Profes… Fath…" Lilith flushed, confused as to how she should start.

"Lilith, you may call me Father if you wish, little though I have done to earn the title." Professor Snape said, sitting uncomfortably in the chair across the small table from the girl that reminded him of the wife he had wrong so many years before. Lilith nodded and visibly shook herself, ordering her thoughts.

"Father, then... I wanted to talk to you about what we should do about my story and my education. We both know that we will have to adjust to our relationship, such as it is. I had some thoughts that will make it possible for us to explain why we are uncomfortable with each other."

"Indeed." Snape raised an eyebrow, surprised by the seriousness his daughter was displaying. This girl was vastly different from the impetuous boy who he thought he knew.

"Yes. My first idea was that you didn't know about our relationship because my mother had hidden me from you because of your ties to Voldemort."

"That is a workable notion, if it is rather bare of details. It also has the strength of being the truth as far as it goes." Lilith flushed slightly, but continued.

"I was thinking that, if we can find one that will work, a muggleborn, or a half-blood would be the best choice, since everyone in the pureblood community knows each other, or at least seems to. My mother has kept me hidden until she died recently, and then sent me to Professor Dumbledore to keep me safe. Since we've been in hiding so long, she didn't know that you were a professor here."

"This is all well and good child, but what of your friends, your education?"

"My education is pretty simple. I keep going to Hogwarts."

"And stay in Gryffindor? It would bring unwanted attention to you if you were simply to continue there as if nothing had changed."

"So some things will change. I was going to have to choose a course to replace Divination anyway. Madame Pomfrey says that I was born almost two months premature according to my magical medical records, so I should actually be a fifth year, so what I was thinking is that we can introduce me as your daughter at the Welcoming Feast and have me sorted into fifth year."

"It would still bring attention to you if you were sorted, as my daughter, into Gryffindor."

"So I'll just let the hat sort me where it wanted to this time." At Snape's questioning glare, she grinned. "You should really talk to Draco Malfoy, father, he drives more first-years away from Slytherin than any amount of parental bias could account for. The hat wanted to sort me into Slytherin in my first year, but after meeting him in Diagon Alley, and on the train, there was no way I was going to let it put me in his house, so it put me in its second choice. I wonder how often that has happened." Snape looked startled at this revelation, and Lilith was surprised to hear herself giggling like any normal girl her age. Clearing her throat in embarrassment, Lilith sighed. "As to my friends, Ginny and Hermione shouldn't be a problem. Neither of them would reveal anything I asked them to keep a secret, as long as I let them know _why_ it needed to be secret."

"And Mister Weasley?"

"Ron couldn't keep this secret to save his own life, let alone mine. Ginny and Hermione might be uncomfortable keeping it from him, but I don't think it should be too much of a problem for them. Luna and Neville are even less likely to reveal my secrets."

"Mister Longbottom? I hadn't thought that you were that close." Snape looked like the very idea that Lilith was friendly with Neville filled him with revulsion.

"Neville and I have… _had_ a lot in common Father. If you actually gave him a chance you would be surprised at what he is capable of."

"Be that as it may, I think we have covered everything necessary to establish your new identity. I will inform the Headmaster of your suggestions, as well as your notion of bringing some of your friends in on the secret of your change. Had you decided which classes you will be taking if he approves of your plan?"

"I was thinking that I would take Charms, Transfigurations, History of Magic, Astronomy, Potions, and Defense, of course. For electives, I thought Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Ginny and Luna are both taking those, and I thought they, and Hermione could help me get caught up with where I should be."

"A reasonable selection of classes, suitable for a girl of proper breeding," Snape accepted with a nod of his head. Lilith couldn't hide the smirk that this comment provoked.

"Of course, Father. I am, after all, a _girl_ _of proper breeding_, as anyone who looks at me can see." Snape chuckled at the barbed comment, nodding in acceptance, and leaving her alone in room. Moments after he left, she slumped back in her chair, shaking slightly. "I only hope I can pull this off without giving anything away. I just got a father. I don't want to lose him too." Lilith's dark thought stayed with her for several hours before she could calm herself enough to leave the room of requirement in search of something to eat.

_DG_

"Ah, Severus, how did your meeting with Lilith go?" Dumbledore ignored the sneer Professor Snape gave the overly cheerful greeting of the Headmaster, and acknowledged the other Heads, as well as Madame Pomfrey, who were waiting for him, ignoring Remus Lupin's presence. "As you are aware, Severus, I have chosen to keep the reality of the change in Mister Potter's identity limited to the heads of the four houses, as well as Remus and Poppy of course. I have already explained to them what we now know about the circumstances of his birth, as well as what has occurred this summer. Was there anything that you wished to add that I may not have covered, before we discuss this coming year?"

"Yes, Headmaster, there were two items which need to be discussed from suggestions that arose in my discussion with Lilith this afternoon." Dumbledore nodded in acceptance and motioned for Snape to continue. "Firstly, I must insist that from now on we all refer to her as Lilith, or Miss Snape in our discussions here and in the future." Snape raised his hand to forestall objections from Lupin and McGonagall. "This is not an attempt to deny the father she thought she had, but rather to protect her from any slips which might occur if any of us were to forget ourselves in the presence of those who are not aware of the secret. She is Lilith Andromeda Amaranthys Snape, regardless of the name she was known by prior to our becoming aware of Lily's secret, and we must all remember this if we are to protect her from the Dark Lord." Everyone in the room nodded their understanding of Snape's point.

"Secondly, Lilith has offered two suggestions regarding others who should be made aware of her secret, in order to assist her in her transition and with her preparations for the coming year. Specifically, she has asked that Hermione Granger, Ginevra Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom be included. After hearing her reasoning, I must say that I am forced to agree that these students will be helpful to her in the coming months."

"What about Ronald Weasley?" McGonagall ask, surprised at the omission. "Surely if she has requested Miss Lovegood and Mister Longbottom, she would want both of the friends that have stood with her in her many adventures."

"Lilith felt, and I must agree, that Mister Weasley would pose an unnecessary risk to Lilith's safety if he were to be informed of the changes that have taken place. Her exact words were that Mister Weasley "couldn't keep this secret to save his own life." While I feel that she might be doing Mister Weasley something of an injustice, I also feel that it is Lilith's right to exclude him if she does not feel comfortable with his being made aware of such a personal matter. It is her life and safety we are discussing after all."

"After Mister Weasley's behavior at the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament, I can hardly blame her for her concern," Professor Sprout commented, surprising many of her colleagues. "Oh honestly, the boy allowed jealousy to separate him from a friend who had proven he would do anything for him, up to and including saving the life of his younger sister. I was surprised when Mister Potter forgave him so quickly. If Miss Snape doesn't want to worry about what jealousy or the Weasley boy's reaction to _who_ her father is, I say that it is about time."

"Really Pomona, I am surprised at you," Professor Dumbledore looked at the head of Hufflepuff in disapproval. "Surely Mister Weasley deserved a second chance."

"Yes, but there are limits to forgiveness, Albus. Honestly, the boy needs a wakeup call. He only passed many of his classes because of the help of his friends. Perhaps this will be an opportunity for young Ronald to learn to stand on his own feet. Loyalty and hard work should not be exclusive to my house.

"Yes, of course, apologies, Pomona, it was just that you are seldom so vehement." Sprout acknowledged Dumbledore's apology and sat back in her seat. "Very well then, did Miss Snape have any other suggestions?"

"As she made me aware, if she had not been born two months premature, Lilith would have been entering her fifth year rather than her sixth in September. As such, she has suggested that, in order to hide her origins further, she join the fifth-years as a transfer student. This is an excellent notion, especially as it will render unnecessary the difficulties involved in producing a set of OWL scores that would not connect her to Mister Potter. She has also suggested that she be resorted with the first-years at the welcoming feast, as any other transfer student would be. These two steps, as well as her change in appearance should go a long way in hiding any connections to her previous life."

"Are you sure that is wise, Severus?" Remus asked with a touch of uncertainty in his voice. "Won't it cause comment amongst your peers if your daughter were sorted into Gryffindor?"

"As she has also suggested that we present our true relationship, that of father and daughter who were not previously aware of our connection, to the world before this sorting, if she is then sorted into her current house it can be put down to her upbringing and left at that. My peers, as well as the Dark Lord will accept that I could do little to influence her upbringing, being aware of her existence for such a short time."

"A well thought out strategy, Severus," Snape nodded to Professor Flitwick, who was toying lightly with his beard. "Has she decided which courses she will be taking?"

"She has chosen to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy as her electives, rather than her previous choices. This will further distance her from her past and better prepare her for a useful career. She will be taking, of course, the core courses as well. Lilith has also requested that the Misses Granger, Weasley, and Lovegood be invited to assist her in preparing to take her place in the fourth year classes as soon as possible." The other professors nodded in agreement with this idea and the meeting broke up to continue the work the meeting had interrupted.

_DG_

Hermione Granger sighed in pleasure as she felt the heat of the sun seep into the skin of her back. Glancing to her left, she smiled at the peaceful expression on Ginny Weasley's face as the red head lay on the poolside chaise beside her. It had surprised Hermione and the Weasley's when her parents had offered to take Ginny along on their annual vacation trip, but the two girls were enjoying the trip to a beach resort in Majorca more than they had imagined. Of course, it had taken three days for Hermione to convince her younger friend that it was all right for them to sit by the public pool in the swimwear Mrs. Granger had bought. Their matching bikinis, emerald green for Ginny and basic black for Hermione, were much more revealing than the Victorian bathing costume that Molly Weasley had packed for her daughter, but after that first day, Ginny had buried the black monstrosity in the bottom of her trunk. She would have burnt it if she didn't know that her mother would ask about it when she got home.

Both girls had finished their summer homework in the two weeks leading up to the trip, so they felt they deserved to relax and rebuild their energy for the next school year. Of course, they could only spend so much time lying next to the pool. The two young witches had spent a day each on visits to La Seu Cathedral and Bellver Castle. The local markets had amazed Ginny with the colorful umbrellas over the stalls and the different wares that were available. Today, they had decided to lay beside the pool and work on achieving a tan that would be the envy of everyone at Hogwarts. Hermione smirked to herself as she thought about this and then turned when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

An Eagle owl, only seen in falconer's mews in the islands, was flying toward her, rather obviously carrying a letter. Quickly glancing around, Hermione walked over to one of the shade trees, hoping the owl would take the hint and land there, where it would at least be hidden. The owl cooperated, landing and extending its leg toward her. Hermione glanced at Ginny, and noticed that the other girl wasn't even looking at her. Shaking her head, Hermione reached for the letter. The owl watched her carefully, then tucked its head beneath its wing and went to sleep. Hermione shrugged and carried the letter back to her chaise.

"What does the letter say," Ginny asked as Hermione sat down.

"Let me read it and I will tell you." Ginny turned over and looked at Hermione expectantly. With a grin, Hermione opened the letter. The grin soon left her face.

_Dear Ms. Granger and Ms. Weasley,_

_I hope this missive finds the both of you well. I am writing to you on behalf of someone dear to all of us. Due to a rather unusual set of circumstances, I find I must request your help for this person. As such I must ask that you, if you are willing, cut your travels short and return to school as soon as possible._

_To reassure you, our dear one is well, though changed. Any further explanation will have to wait until you have returned safely. All that can be said is that there is a new student with special circumstances has requested your help. When you arrive, you will be met by one of your previous Defense professors who will guide you to the quarters you will occupy during your stay._

_Hoping to see you soon,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin First Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards._

DG

Three days later, Hermione and Ginny were standing in front of Dumbledore in his office. After they told their parents, and got their permission, they packed what they needed and headed towards Hogwarts. Once they got there, Professor McGonagall escorted them to see Dumbledore. While they were walking to see Dumbledore, they both noticed a lone girl sitting in the same room eating as they walked toward the Headmaster. When they reached Dumbledore, he looked at them and smiled.

"Ah, good, you two decided to help our dear friend." Dumbledore said. "My that is a healthy bit of color you have.

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione and Ginny said together, blushing.

"So who is it we are helping? The new student?" Hermione asked.

"Also, who is the new student?" Ginny asked.

"Professor McGonagall, if you tell Lilith that we desire her company, I'll inform these young ladies what they are expected to be doing." Dumbledore told Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, Headmaster," McGonagall said and turned and walked across the room. The girl sitting by herself glanced up, and once McGonagall spoke to her glanced over at them. Hermione was startled by the sight of her familiar green eyes. Turning back to Professor Dumbledore, she looked at him questioningly.

"So you wish to know what you two will be doing for our new student." Dumbledore said, smiling at the two girls and smiled when the both of them nodded. "One of the tasks is to prepare the new student to attend the upcoming year here at Hogwarts."

"What do we need to do for the student?" Hermione asked, glancing over as the girl rose to her feet and started to walk toward their end of the room.

"That is part of the special circumstance. The student has asked to be the one to personally tell you why you two were chosen. All I am permitted to say, until she explains, is that you must prepare the new student for the upcoming year." Dumbledore said. Hermione realized that there was something he wasn't saying, but before she was able to ask him anything, Professor McGonagall returned and the girl was standing beside her. When Hermione looked at the girl, she was shocked by the sense of recognition she felt. 'Why do I feel like I know her from somewhere?' "Ah, good, here is the new student."

The girl was dressed wearing a sweat suit that appeared to be a little large on her. She appeared to be the same age as Ginny, had short red hair, and appeared to be nervous about being where she was. It was then that Dumbledore continued with the introductions.

"Hermione, Ginevra, I would like you to meet the new student the both of you will be preparing for the coming year." Dumbledore said.

"Hi." "Hello." Ginny and Hermione said to the girl.

"Hello." The girl returned quietly, shifting uncomfortably.

"This is Miss Lilith Andromeda Amaranthys Snape, the daughter of our own Professor Snape." Dumbledore said, smiling on the inside when he thought of how the two would react to that announcement.

"Snape's daughter!" Both of them exclaimed in surprise when they heard her name and they both failed to notice the girl flinch when they reacted to hearing her name.

"She looks an awful lot like Harry's mother." Ginny said when realization came to her. Both Ginny and Hermione noticed the girl's shocked expression for a moment before it went back to just nervous.

"That would be because," Lilith replied quietly, "I'm the daughter of Lily Evans."

That statement froze Ginny and Hermione in place as they tried to examine.

"But how can that be, that would mean that she cheated on Harry's father." Hermione said, starting to get overwhelmed with all the thoughts running through her head.

"Wouldn't that make you Harry Potter's half-sister?" Ginny asked confused.

"Not exactly; Oh, and mom never cheated on her husband." Lilith replied to answer both of the girl's questions, wondering which of them would figure it out first.

"What?" Hermione asked thoroughly confused. She noticed Lilith look over at Dumbledore pleadingly asking for help.

"What Miss Snape is trying to explain is that Lily Evans never married James Potter; And she only ever bore one child." Dumbledore said. He let that comment sink in for a moment. Then Lilith saw realization dawn on Hermione's face first.

"Harry?" Hermione asked turning to Lilith in shock. Ginny was still trying to piece together what was going on.

"Hi, Hermione." Lilith replied to Hermione with a shy smile.

"What, how, Harry?" Ginny asked slowly getting what was going on. "How is this possible? What happened?"

"Why are you a girl now, and how can you be Professor Snape's daughter?" Hermione asked.

"Um, there is a good explanation for that." Lilith said nervously.

"What?" Hermione demanded, a little anger in her voice.

Lilith sighed. "It's a little complicated. I only just found out myself, so please bear with me."

"I believe," Professor Dumbledore began, "that this is where I step out for a bit of a walk. Do feel free to use my office as long as you need, my dears."

Hermione nodded, and took a seat across from Lilith. Ginny glanced at the two girls before she sat down as well. After a moment where Professor Dumbledore excused himself, Lilith cleared her throat.

"From what I have heard, and found out, my parents married each other immediately after leaving Hogwarts, but Father, as an assignment from the Department of Mysteries, had to hide his marriage to go undercover as a Death Eater. Mum was pretended to be married to James Potter as part of Father's cover. Father's memory was also modified to prevent Voldemort discovering that 'his' potions master was married to a muggleborn. What neither he, nor Mum knew was that I was already on the way.

"But why are you a girl?" Hermione demanded.

"I was getting to that. As I said, Father and Mum separated without knowing I was on the way. When Mum found out, she panicked and almost blew Father's cover. Da… James agreed to pretend that I was his as well, going so far as to make a will naming me his heir. July 31st comes around and everything is fine… until a girl comes out."

"A girl? But, Harry…" Ginny started, only to be stopped by Lilith's upraised hand.

"It's Lilith, and according to my mum's letter, I have always been a girl, just under some spells and potions."

"I still don't see the problem," Hermione said, while Ginny nodded.

"Me being a girl wasn't a problem in and of itself, just the combination of Mum and James trying to pass me off as his kid and being a girl. Potters don't have girls."

"What does that mean? The birth rate of male to female children is no different for witches than for muggle women." Hermione seemed positive. It wouldn't have surprise Harry if she had read it in a book from the library.

"Potters don't have girls… It's because of a curse from the 13th Century or some such. Anyway, because of this curse, Mum having a girl would be considered evidence that she was unfaithful to James, which would have blown the secret wide open and got everyone killed. So they came with the idea to pretend that I was a boy, and turned me into a boy."

"That would take very powerful magic, Har… Lilith. Why would it last so long? Shouldn't the spells have worn off."

"They did, a few days ago. That's why you're here now."

"Why exactly is that, Harry," Ginny said with a mulish expression, obviously not happy with the situation. "We were told we were needed to help a new student prepare for the coming year. You already know about the classes here."

"But Lilith doesn't," She replied with a sigh. "I cannot be seen to have a connection to my old life Ginny, especially if I am going to be able to acknowledge my father. Besides, what I really need is a crash course in how to _be_ a girl. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't exactly been learning female roles and social responses."

"So, what you need are lessons in how to be a girl?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. "It's not something that can just be taught, Lilith. It's a way of thinking, of behaving. I'm not sure that we can do it in the month that we have before school starts."

"I hope you're wrong, Hermione, because we don't have a choice. Besides that, we need to get me ready to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy at the fifth year level."

"Fifth year, but you just finished that year and took your OWL's." Hermione was apparently more shocked by the idea of Lilith retaking fifth year than that her best friend, the _boy_ who lived, was in fact a girl.

"No, Hermione, _Harry Potter_ took _His_ OWL's. Lilith Snape just finished her fourth year." After this clarification Hermione seemed to get the idea and calmed down. "Now, we should probably get down to the great hall, food during the summer isn't as plentiful and the elves tend to clean up sooner than during the school year."

Hermione and Ginny agreed and followed Lilith out of Dumbledore's office. As they walked, they started talking about what was going on while they headed outside to enjoy their meal.

"So why us?" Hermione asked, curious about Lilith's choice.

"Well, you two are two of the only girls I consider good friends, and I hoped I could trust you with what you just found out?" Lilith explained and asked a little nervous. She watched as the other two looked at each other and saw when they had came to a silent agreement.

"Yes, you can trust us with your secret, 'Lilith'." Hermione said for the both of them. They all smiled and got into a big group hug.

"I'm still can't believe that you are really a girl now, much less, that you are Professor Snape's daughter." Ginny said after they broke from the hug.

"You can't believe it, how do you think I feel, and it happened to me." Lilith replied smiling.

"Speaking of your 'father', where is he?" Ginny asked.

"He's still here if that is what you are asking." Lilith replied thinking for a moment. "But I haven't seen him since the day we found out the truth about me. I think he's still coming to terms about what really happened."

"Ah." Ginny said as they continued walking in silence for a while. "I noticed that you aren't wearing glasses anymore, how come?"

"I don't need them anymore." Lilith replied. "Whatever the spell was that changed me to 'Harry' caused my need for glasses, and just stopped when I became Lilith. As far as I can tell, I have normal eyesight, the same as everyone else that doesn't need glasses."

"Must be nice." Ginny said.

"There is one other thing that me becoming Lilith has done." Lilith said.

"What?" Ginny and Hermione asked.

"Look." Lilith says as she lifts up her bangs to show them her forehead.

"Your scar is gone!" Hermione gasped when she noticed that the scar that was present on Harry was nowhere to be seen on Lilith.

"Mostly, but if you look very carefully, you can see it faintly." Lilith explained and the two other girls looked closer and they were able to see the faint line where Harry's scar used to be.

Continuing their conversation, the three girls continued toward the great hall for lunch, not noticing the figure in the shadows near the entrance.


End file.
